Kids in crisis

In our work with Trouble the Dog, he is used as a coping mechanism — a best friend who is always there with a soft ear into which children can safely whisper their troubles and concerns.

In a recent Newsweek article, Britain’s Prince Harry speaks about the impact that the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, had on him.

Asked by ex-England footballer Rio Ferdinand about the possible impact of his own wife’s 2015 death on his children, the royal replied, “I really regret not ever talking about it [Diana’s death].”

Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997, when Harry was 12, but the prince said he was silent on the subject of losing his mother “for the first 28 years of [his] life.”

Hosting an event for mental health charity Heads Together, which he formed with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the prince told BBC Breakfast, “It is OK to suffer, but as long as you talk about it. It is not a weakness. Weakness is having a problem and not recognizing it and not solving that problem.”

Prince Harry is hoping to open lines of communication… as we are with Trouble the Dog. It’s so very important.

We can all do our part to help vulnerable children going through such difficult times. For our part, we have launched an initiative that will allow us, with corporate and community assistance, to put Trouble the Dog into the arms of as many of foster children as we possibly can. Trouble is a proven coping mechanism who is “on call” 24/7 whenever a child needs the reassurance that a huggable friend can offer.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with a foster mother who says that she can still hear the sobs of a very young child she was fostering. She is enthusiastic about our initiative and said she would have given anything to have been able to put Trouble into the arms of the heartbroken child and let him know that Trouble was his to confide in and keep for his very own.

The third article shares staggering statistics of substance-exposed newborns – a crisis that the March of Dimes is trying to help rectify. All three stories addressed the alarming opioid abuse in our communities and how it is affecting not only adults, but children as well. The crisis is so bad that the March of Dimes is appealing to the Department of Children and Families to reduce their caseloads in order to prioritize and treat babies addicted to opiates. Kids are being removed from their homes at alarming rates, often with only the clothes on their backs. All of their toys and belongings, if they are allowed to take anything with them, are thrown in trash bags.

In one article, Department of Public Health spokesman Scott Zoback said “between March 2014 and August 2015, the state received a total of 3,452 reports of substance-exposed newborns.” Reporter Jessica Heslam noted, “Babies should be safe and snug in their mothers’ arms or cribs or baby seats — not crawling around hundreds of empty heroin bags on the filthy floor of their homes.” She goes on to say that, “Addiction is a horrible affliction, and I’m sympathetic, but that baby boy deserves so much better. All children do.”

What a crushingly sad state of affairs for so many of the youngest members of our society.

Trouble the Dog was “born” nine years ago in response to a tragic sequence of events in the life of one young child. In plush form, Trouble has helped provide comfort to thousands of children in crisis since that time. While he is not the solution to the opioid epidemic, he offers the tactile comfort young children crave during times of crisis.

We are working with various agencies to establish a distribution network for plush Trouble dogs to make sure they get into the arms of children when they need him most. Stay tuned for more information on this new initiative.

In the meantime, you can shop for Trouble and make a difference for a child in your life.